Picking & Grinning: UFC 211 ‘Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2’

Stipe Miocic has firsthand knowledge of the obstacle that has been placed before him.

The Strong Style Fight Team rep will defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title when he rematches Junior dos Santos in the UFC 211 main event on Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. There, Miocic aims to avenge a December 2014 decision loss to the Brazilian. Meanwhile, women’s strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk will risk her 115-pound championship against Jessica Andrade in the five-round co-headliner.

The rest of the five-fight main card features a welterweight clash pairing 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Demian Maia with Jorge Masvidal, a featherweight tilt pitting Frankie Edgar against Yair Rodriguez and a middleweight affair matching former two-division World Series of Fighting champion David Branch with Krzysztof Jotko.

Ahead of UFC 211 “Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2,” Sherdog.com staff members and contributors swallowed their pride and put their reputations on the line with bold predictions:

THE LINEUP

265: Stipe Miocic vs. Junior dos Santos
115: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Andrade
170: Demian Maia vs. Jorge Masvidal
145: Frankie Edgar vs. Yair Rodriguez
185: Krzysztof Jotko vs. David Branch
155: Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier
145: Chas Skelly vs. Jason Knight
155: James Vick vs. Marco Polo Reyes
115: Jessica Aguilar vs. Cortney Casey
265: Chase Sherman vs. Rashad Coulter
145: Gabriel Benitez vs. Enrique Barzola
205: Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Joachim Christensen

THE STANDINGS

Jordan Breen: 90-39-1
Tristen Critchfield: 88-41-1
Connor Ruebusch: 86-43-1
Brian Knapp: 85-44-1
Todd Martin: 83-46-1
Eric Stinton: 82-47-1
Mike Fridley: 80-49-1
Mike Sloan: 74-55-1

THE PICKS

Jordan Breen: Miocic, Jedrzejczyk, Maia, Edgar, Jotko, Alvarez, Skelly, Vick, Aguilar, Sherman, Benitez, Antigulov

Tristen Critchfield: Miocic, Jedrzejczyk, Maia, Edgar, Jotko, Poirier, Skelly, Reyes, Aguilar, Sherman, Benitez, Antigulov

Connor Ruebusch: Dos Santos, Andrade, Maia, Rodriguez, Jotko, Poirier, Skelly, Reyes, Aguilar, Sherman, Benitez, Antigulov

Brian Knapp: Miocic, Jedrzejczyk, Maia, Edgar, Jotko, Poirier, Skelly, Vick, Aguilar, Coulter, Benitez, Antigulov

Todd Martin: Miocic, Jedrzejczyk, Masvidal, Edgar, Branch, Alvarez, Skelly, Vick, Aguilar, Coulter, Benitez, Antigulov

Eric Stinton: Dos Santos, Jedrzejczyk, Maia, Rodriguez, Jotko, Alvarez, Skelly, Reyes, Aguilar, Coulter, Benitez, Antigulov

Mike Fridley: Miocic, Jedrzejczyk, Maia, Edgar, Jotko, Alvarez, Skelly, Vick, Casey, Sherman, Benitez, Antigulov

Mike Sloan: Miocic, Jedrzejczyk, Maia, Rodriguez, Branch, Alvarez, Skelly, Vick, Aguilar, Coulter, Benitez, Antigulov